US forces have sped up their withdrawal from the Ayn al-Asad and Victoria military bases in Iraq, with some troops being redeployed to Erbil and a neighboring Arab country, local media reported Sunday. The drawdown, ordered by the US Embassy, is being carried out in phases, according to Xinhua.
The accelerated timeline aligns with last year’s US-Iraq agreement on a gradual coalition exit. Hussein Allawi, security advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, recently confirmed that the US-led coalition’s mission in Baghdad and at Ayn al-Asad is set to conclude in September. The coalition currently maintains around 2,500 troops in Iraq.
